Ilobu community seeks FG’s intervention in Osun communal clash that left 30 dead
Following the communal clash in the Ilobu community of Osun State on Friday, the people of the area have appealed to the federal government to help them defend their town.
A statement signed by Pastor Olufemi Salako, the National President of Ilobu Descendants Union, described how hired mercenaries from Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun communities attacked Ilobu, leaving over 30 persons dead and more than 100 houses destroyed, including the house of the father of ex-deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuf.
According to the community leader, many people sustained gunshot wounds, with numerous business establishments totally destroyed, even as thousands of individuals have been forced to flee their homes.
“On Friday morning, we woke up to sporadic gunshots from the people of Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun communities. Greater parts of the Ilobu Community at Ganga, Idire, Apiponroro, Olobu market, and Ayedaade were seriously invaded; houses and shops were burnt down, and the people of Ilobu were attacked with guns.
“Unfortunately, the Erin-Osun community has also joined from behind, confirming it is a pre-planned and premeditated attack on the Ilobu community. So, this time around, it is not about Ifon and Ilobu fighting over disputed land; it is about the determination of the Ifon-Osun and Erin-Osun communities to completely exterminate the Ilobu community,” Pastor Salaki stated.
Salako further alleged that appeals for help made to the Osun State Government, the Osun State Commissioner of Police and the Osun Security Network fell on deaf ears as the carnage went on for over 15 hours without any intervention from security agencies.
According to him, the community has been the target of violent attacks eight times in the past 18 months, and there is no end in sight to the crisis. He called on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director of the Department of State Security to come to their aid.
However, following the crisis, the Osun State Government imposed a 6 p.m to 6 a.m curfew to restore normalcy to the affected community.
Watch videos from the mayhem below:
